The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference First-Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

Denver leads this series, 2-0.

The Lakers (0-2) were in control of Game 2 but completely collapsed in the second half. They led by 20 points midway through the third quarter but couldn't hold off the world champs in one of the failures of the season. What's sad is that they got some stellar performances from their stars. LeBron James has 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, while Anthony Davis totaled 32 points and 11 boards. They also got 23 points and six assists from D'Angelo Russell, but it's clear this team can't get over the Denver hump. They'll have to figure things out soon because a loss here would mean a 3-0 deficit, and that's an impossible task when looking at the history of the NBA.

The Nuggets (2-0) had no right winning Game 2 but they were able to snatch that defeat in the final seconds. They trailed by 20 points in the third quarter of that critical Game 2 and prevailed behind a 32-20 fourth quarter. A game-winning shot from Jamal Murray was their only lead after the opening two minutes of that game, showcasing why this team took down the title last year. Murray scored 14 of the team's final 20 points, despite having another poor shooting night. Nikola Jokic is the one who carried the load, though, tallying 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in another masterful performance. Only four players have had at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game, while Jokic has done that four times himself!

Denver had won 10 straight games over Los Angeles. Teams that lead 2-0 win over 75 percent of the seven-game series in NBA history.